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2017 USA BMX Silver Dollar Nationals

New teams, new rules, new gear, same ol' fun in Las Vegas!

2017 is gearing up to be one of the most action packed years in BMX history and it all starts in Vegas this weekend.

Nothing beats the end of silly season and the beginning of a new chase for the No.1 titles. The USA BMX season-opener never disappoints and Saturday’s 304 motos was evidence that folks are ready to race in 2017, in a BIG way.

This race also marked the first time in a long time that AA-pros are able to race at non Pro Series events. The new Pro Open class will be available at every round of the USA BMX National series outside of those designated as such. Every Pro class was represented with the Kortman sisters holding it down for the Women, Vet Pro Champ Cristian Becerine representing the elder statesmen, the AA trio of Long, Brown and Peebles and of course the A Pro’s.

Rookie pro Cory Salas looked formidable in his debut and will definitely be a factor in this class as well as A Pro come Winter Nationals time.

Nic Long came in with a vengeance come main time and dominated the 1 lap affair. Dr. Holeshot Becerine looked as if he would get to turn 1 before the Olympian but tucked in safely for the two. Tyler Brown nabbed the three aboard his new DK Elite frame.

PRO OPEN

1 NIC LONG, HARO/PROMAX, LAKESIDE, CA

2 CRISTIAN BECERINE, THRODWN, COSTA MESA, CA

3 TYLER BROWN, 316 RACING/DK BICYCLES, CHULA VISTA, CA

4 MATTHEW RUBECK, JR BICYCLES.COM/CHASE/BOX, CANYON COUNTRY, CA

5 COREY SALAS, SIMI VALLEY, CA

6 LAYNE GAINER, GORDY'S BICYCLES, MESA, AZ

7 TOMAS FERNANDEZ, ALBUQUERQUE, NM

8 JACOB PEEBLES, JET RACING, CHICO, CA

The Shriver sisters got right down to business on Saturday in Mixed Open a fired off three wins in a row for their new team Throdwn. If you haven’t heard, Jim Buchanan’s team and SSquared parted ways at the conclusion of the 2016 Grands.

Jim partnered up with longtime friend Charlie Janke (pronounced Yawnke) to market their own line of frames. Some of you may remember the prototype titanium frames from a few years back that had the factory dads drooling over. They will be bringing those to market as well as a full line of aluminum frames and completes.

Saturday’s 9-10 Open started off a little different than usual. After arriving to the gate late “The Major “Marshall Gehrke slammed into gate five like he was Ronnie Anderson. He meant business and after the gate dropped the rest of the group would find that out. As he cranked his way out of the first turn, Factory J&R’s new addition Michael Villanueva would tuck in for the second. And yes we did say FACTORY J&R. They have moved up to throw bows with the big boys. Also moving up to factory for 2017 is the reigning #1 Bike Shop team Full Tilt.

Another great thing about kicking off a new season is the emergence of new stars and saw more than a couple in sin city.

Enter Speedtech’s Nicole Glowaty... This young lady, who hails from Florida these days, handily won the 17-20 Women’s class each day. This was no small task, especially facing off against the newly crowned National #1 girl Elida Beeman.

Next on the list of amazing perfomances was 17-18 Expert Tristen Judd who went 3 for 4 between his cruiser and 20 inch. The tenacious Texan looks fired up and ready to take on the 2017 season with a vengence.

BC BMX’s 9 Cruiser Devin Gosnell is a vegas local who had the start of a lifetime on Saturday and brought home a big win. He hails from Henderson, Nevada to be exact. That city should sound familiar as it is also the home city of the current Olympic Gold medalist Connor Fields.

One of the big suprises of the weekend was the absence of National #1 Am Jesse Welch on the track. He was in the house supporting his new teammates but isn’t a big fan of short track racing. Hopefully his decision not to compete doesn’t come back to bite him come Grands time.

Wyatt Worth, 10X extradonaire, made his debut with Supercross and instantly validated team manager Kim Hayashi’s

decision to pick him up. He’d pick up some decent finishes in cruiser but really shined on the 20” where he won both days.

Another season is under way but this one is special as it is the 40th anniversary of the American Bicycle Association/USA BMX. Where else would you want to kick off a celebration like that besides Vegas?